PEORIA — Numerous dog breeds, from full grown Labrador retrievers to 8-week-old pugs, filled the back warehouse of the Tractor Supply Co. on Southwest Washington Street on Sunday morning as the Low Cost Pet Wellness Clinic made its monthly stop.

On the first Sunday of each month, about eight volunteers from all over Illinois come to the warehouse and offer their veterinary skills.

“It’s a one-stop shop,” said Jody Guske, executive director of the Just Animals Shelter in Mazon. An offshoot of Guske’s shelter, the clinic ensures both dogs and cats can get a vaccine exam, rabies vaccines, distemper vaccines, tracking microchips, deworming medication and other medicines all while being examined by one of the clinic’s two veterinarian volunteers. Everything they do costs somewhere between $10 and $25. “We keep it cheap so we can help people take care of their animals.”

It was nothing but dogs Sunday morning, so the owners filled out a form stating what shots their dogs already had received, what they may need and what ailments they may be suffering. That form would then be handed to volunteers who got the needed shots and medication ready for the dog. Then the dog would be taken over to a veterinarian.

“It’s fast-paced, non-stop crazy,” Guske said.

“It’s such a good service to the people and their dogs, it’s so convenient and inexpensive,” David Michels of Pekin said. Michels was there with his wife, Anita, and the 8-week-old pug they had just adopted the other day.

While Guske buzzed around the warehouse doing everything from handing out dog tags, handling money and petting every dog she could as a constant stream of dogs came to the clinic, the operation ran smoothly thanks to numerous other volunteers, including Dr. Robin Hadley, a veterinarian from Champaign.

“It’s very fulfilling,” Hadley said. She would examine a dog for roughly five to six minutes while administering shots and talking to the owners. “It may be the only time you’ll see some of these dogs at a vet, so it’s great to be a part of. Plus, it’s fast. It keeps things fun.”

All the volunteers said Sunday’s clinic was rather busy, which was evident from the 24 dogs they examined in about 45 minutes. Guske estimated that they would see 175 to 200 dogs on Sunday alone. Considering that they visit Peoria once a month, and that the whole operation visits at least 20 different counties in Illinois a year, they are helping a lot of dogs.

“It’s craziness, but I love doing this,” Guske said.

As Guske handed each owner pills, tags or change as the dog owners left, she asked them to tell their friends about their clinic. “Jody is a good friend of mine, I tell everyone I know about what she and these amazingly kind people are doing,” Michels said. “They deserve all the attention they can get.”

Page 2 of 2 - Zach Berg can be reached at zberg@pjstar.com or 686-3257. Follow him on Twitter @ZacharyBerg.